South Africa’s Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has announced a Request for Information (RFI), inviting private sector participants to submit project proposals to introduce a renewable energy programme at its eight commercial seaports.
The above is a result of a recent internal audit conducted by TNPA which showed the need to stabilise energy supply, cost and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the ports of Port Elizabeth, Ngqura, East London, Mossel Bay, Saldanha, Cape Town, Durban, and Richards Bay.
“The introduction of renewable energy at our ports is significantly underpinned by our corporate environmental responsibility and is a good step towards limiting contributions towards global warming,” said project manager Jarryd Introna.
Responses to the RFI are expected to help TNPA better understand the renewable energy market, particularly for wind and solar.
At the same time, they are expected to help it consider the integration of other renewable energy sources, such as hybrids of hydroelectric power, ocean energy, biomass and geothermal.
The objective of the implementation of the Renewable Energy Programme is to supply 50 – 80 MW of renewable energy power generation capacity that can be applied cumulatively to the eight commercial seaports in South Africa.
“As we respond to our ports authority role of delivering reliable electrical energy for our port operators and tenants, we are committed to doing so in a manner that is financially prudent, does not harm the environment and has a developmental impact,” Jarryd added.
